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<title>On a Hair's End by Bass0w0n, TexWash</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26017576">On a Hair's End</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bass0w0n/pseuds/Bass0w0n'>Bass0w0n</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TexWash/pseuds/TexWash'>TexWash</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Love Letter to Fox's Fat Tiddies [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>501st Battalion, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crying, Gen, Good Boy Soft Feels, Haircuts, Mando'a, Multiple Authors, No Beta We Die Like Clones, Other, Soft Tup, Tears, The Painted Universe, Tup'ika is best ad'ika, Tup's Luscious Locks, clone cuddles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:47:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>896</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26017576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bass0w0n/pseuds/Bass0w0n, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TexWash/pseuds/TexWash</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tup has beautiful hair. It’s too bad that more vode couldn’t enjoy it, with the current regulations.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-7567 | Rex &amp; CT-5385 | Tup</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Love Letter to Fox's Fat Tiddies [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843276</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>On a Hair's End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There was really not much thought behind this one, aside from trying to flesh out the relationship between Rex and Tup.<br/><em>[This is relevant for a few later fics that are Works in Progress.]</em></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tup was one of the newest Shinies to be assigned to the 501st, and in true Torrent company fashion he has already broken <em>two</em> regulations.</p><p>“Please, Capitan! It’s not even in the way, it’s always under my bucket anyway! Just a few more inches please?” Tup was absolutely begging Rex, pleading and crying and snot-filled. This had been going on for thirty minutes now, and Rex was at wits end with this Vod’ika, finally taking him away from the prying eyes of others and leading him to an empty Rec Room down the hall.</p><p>Tup’s hair was already well past regulation length by about ten inches, his dense hair framing his face in tightly wound curls. The only reason Rex let him grow it out this long is because Tup could keep it tied up underneath his bucket. But now it was pushing those limitations, Tup regularly had to get other Vode to help him do his hair up in braids and plaits just so he could put his helmet <em>on</em>. The other issue was that the other members of Torrent, <em>traitors</em>, enjoyed getting the chance to touch and play with Tup’ika’s hair.</p><p>Kix, in particular, can frequently be seen sitting cross legged on his bunk, with Tup seated on the floor just in front of it, finger combing through the curls after a long day of being smashed inside their plastoid buckets. The Vod’ika looking absolutely blissed out, from the repetitive motion. </p><p>The last person assigned to cut Tup’s hair had been Dogma, who Rex hasn’t seen, in person, for about five rotations. The last time he did see Dogma, he had come back to Rex a few minutes after having been sent to cut Tup’s hair and had stuttered up a poor excuse of “not being able to find Tup” even though half the ship had already heard Tup’s cries of panic as Dogma approached him with scissors. The fact that he’d yet to be seen by his commanding officers, at least for the last ten-day, was starting to plant a seed of concern in Rex’s mind. Not for Dogma, no there were plenty of places to hide on the Resolute- but for Tup.</p><p>“Tup,” The Captain reached out to cup the tearful ad’ika’s shoulders, sitting them down on a worn but plush couch. “Ad’ika, I need you to listen to me.” Tup sniffled and attempted to wipe away some of his tears, looking up at Rex with watery eyes. Gods, he was weak for this Shiny.</p><p>“I’ll level with you, Tup, I’m afraid of losing you.” Tup took in a sharp breath, it was unheard of for a Commanding Officer to even vaguely express that sort of personal connection to anyone, let alone Grunt Troopers. “I don’t want to lose you, or anymore brothers to the damned unfair regs.” Rex pulled his ad’ika into a smothering embrace, burning his fingers into Tup’s hair, clinging for dear life uncaring for the possibility of his soft fatigues becoming tear stained. </p><p>Tup- he had no words. His Ori’vod felt for him, and was quite possibly fighting every possible Nat-Born to keep him and their dysfunctional brethren together as a unit. He felt loved.</p><p>“Rex, I-”</p><p>“One more inch.” </p><p>His heart stuttered. What?</p><p>“You can have one more inch, but no more until we get <em>out</em> of this war.” Rex petted Tup’s head, stroking the long curled locks through their full length. “Do we have a deal?”</p><p>Time had frozen, for Tup. Today had quickly shifted from the “Worst Rotation Ever” title to “Oh Gods, Ori’Vod Cares” in zero point two five seconds. He hadn’t been expecting this outcome in the slightest, when the Captain tracked him down and pulled both of them into a quiet Rec Room. Fully expecting the Blond to whip out his electric shears and fully <em>buzz</em> everything off. Thinking on it in retrospect, though, Tup now realizes just how outlandish that line of thinking really was. His Captain would never do such a thing. <em>To him, at least.</em></p><p>“Yes,” Tup pressed himself further into Rex’s neck, thoroughly joining his Ori’vod in clinging to each other. After all, it was far from the first time either of them needed this type of contact. “Deal, I’ll keep it at shoulder length- Dogma can help me braid it back every week” A few stray tears slipped past his lashes, but Tup couldn’t care less. <em>Tup can be himself.</em></p><p>“Good, I’d hate for all of the hard work put into this beautiful hair to go to waste.” Rex ran his fingers through it a couple more times, calming his ad’ika with soothing strokes. He pulled back and brushed a thumb under each of Tup’s eyes. “Save your tears,” he gifted a soft smile to the younger trooper, “You still have to tell Dogma your plan.”</p><p>“He’s going to hate it.” A humored grin flashed across Tup’s features.</p><p>“As usual, but I have faith in your honeyed words.” With that final push of encouragement, Tup surged forward to capture Rex in one last embrace before racing out of the room to go find his favorite brother. Rex relaxed back into the soft cushions of the couch, folding his legs beneath him as he watched the cheer pour off of Torrent’s Little. Cody could say all he wanted about watching their Mando’ade habits-</p><p>
  <em>But that was his ik’aad.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <strong>Mando'a Translations:</strong>
</p><p>Vod[e]- Sibling[s], Brother[s], Sister[s]<br/>ika- Ending meaning "Little" or used as a term of endearment<br/>Ad- Child over the age of 3, Son, Daughter<br/>Ori'Vod- Older SIbling/Brother/Sister<br/>Ik'aad- Baby under the age of 3, used as a term of endearment</p><p>Rotation- Standard Coruscant Day<br/>Ten-Day- Standard Coruscant Week</p></blockquote></div></div>
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